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2020 Warsaw, Indiana tornado
|type = EF5 tornado (NWS)|date = April 7, 2020|times = 2213-2258|touchdown = 7 W of Warsaw, IN|winds = 290+ mph (Most intense tornado in Indiana state history, third-most intense in recorded history)|injuries = 36|fatalities = 17 (Including the director of NWS Northern Indiana)|damage = $10 billion (2020 USD)|areas = Kosciusko, Whitley and Noble Counties, IN|tornado season = Tornadoes of 2020 and Tornado outbreak of April 7-9, 2020|image location = W3381-8c03-704b7-wedge-tornado-bennington-kansas-by-fred-wasmer.jpg|image caption = The tornado at peak intensity.}}the '''2020 Warsaw, Indiana tornado '''was a extremely large, violent and record breaking tornado which impacted various houses just north of Warsaw, Indiana on April 7, 2020. The tornado is one of the most intense ever recorded, and the second-most photographed tornado of all time. The tornado peaked in width at 2.4 miles wide, just .2 miles shorter than the 2013 El Reno tornado, the widest tornado in recorded history, this makes the 2020 Warsaw tornado the third widest tornado of all time. The tornado swept away hundreds of outhouses in North Webster, and decimated the National Weather Service in Northern Indiana's office, killing 2 meteorologists there, including the office director. 17 people were killed in the tornado, 2 at the National Weather Service in Northern Indiana, 5 storm chasers and 10 in North Webster. Meteorological history On April 7, 2020, a 45% + hatched (high) tornado risk was in place for much of Indiana, including the city of Warsaw. CAPE values exceeded 4,000 J/kg in the region, and dew points of near 85°F existed. Many compared the environment in place on April 7 to that seen on April 27, 2011 or April 13, 2018, two of the most violent tornado days ever recorded. By 1800, thunderstorms had initiated all over the region, and at 2056, just over a hour before the tornado would touch down, the area was put under PDS Tornado Watch #122. It was the third ever watch with a >95% chance of all hazards, including the possibility for strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes. The tornado At 2209, a funnel cloud was spotted roughly 6 miles southwest of Warsaw, a tornado briefly touched down at 2211 roughly a mile west of the funnel cloud, and caused EF0-EF1 damage to some farm buildings. The tornado touched down at 2213, and damaged some buildings at around 2214 as a EF1 rope. The tornado further intensified into a EF2 tornado around 2216, and tore off the roofs of various houses west-northwest of Warsaw at 2219. The tornado struck a storm chasers car at 2220, killing one storm chaser and severely injuring another. The tornado moved remarkably fast at this point in life, and rapidly intensified into a EF4 wedge as it entered northwestern Warsaw at 2224, causing severe damage to several houses. The tornado pulled northeastward towards North Webster and crossed Little Chapman Lake as a 2 mile wide EF5 at 2230. The tornado caused EF5 damage to a car just northwest of Barbee, where another storm chaser was present and killed. Some teachers were still at North Webster Elementary School when the tornado moved just northwest of it, killing 3 teachers. The tornado killed another 5 as it moved through North Webster, before striking a truck repair shop where some people had taken cover at peak intensity, killing 2. After that it moved adjacent to Indiana State Road 13 as a EF5 tornado, where many photos of the tornado were taken. It moved within 200 yards of the National Weather Service in Northern Indiana's office at 2240, completely obliterating it and killing a meteorologist as well as the office director. The tornado also directly struck the radar, knocking it offline (obviously), and the NOAA Weather Radio stations across Northern Indiana went into emergency maintenance by NWS Indianapolis at 2246 after they received word of the destruction of NWS Northern Indiana's office at 2244. The tornado neared Lake Wawasee at 2250 as a low-end EF4, before it pulled south of Cromwell at 2255 and finally lifted at 2258. Aftermath Another few deadly tornadoes would occur that evening and on the morning of April 8 search and rescue efforts began in North Webster, a flyover by the Indiana National Guard confirmed devastating damage in the city of North Webster, and that the NWS Northern Indiana office had been almost directly struck. Of the 10 people at North Webster Elementary School when the tornado struck, 2 were killed and 6 were injured, 2 others were left uninjured. Of the 6 meteorologists at NWS Northern Indiana's office when the tornado struck, 2 were killed and 1 was injured, 3 were left uninjured. Various storm chasers mourned the deaths of 5 storm chasers in the tornado, of which several were well known. This made it the deadliest tornado in terms of storm chaser deaths since the 2013 El Reno tornado, which killed 3 storm chasers. Storm surveyors would rate the tornado a high-end EF5 with winds of 350 mph on April 12, before they downgraded that to a EF5 with winds of 290 mph on April 17. Effects at the National Weather Service Confirmation of the death of a meteorologist and the office director at NWS Northern Indiana was received around noon on April 8, and NWS Indianapolis tweeted at 12:37 pm EDT on April 8: "We are saddened to hear the news of the death of 2 of our colleagues at the National Weather Service in Northern Indiana following a tornado, including their office director. Our prayers go out to their families today." Various other NWS offices across the country also posted their condolences on social media that day, and on April 10 the remaining members of NWS Northern Indiana relocated to Indianapolis for work, as NWS Northern Indiana returned to operation on April 11 from Indianapolis. In the aftermath of the tornado, the National Weather Service and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) confirmed that improper safety procedures had been taken in the tornado, and on May 1 updated their building codes to make sure that better safety procedures would be taken in the event of a large tornado approaching the office.